Friday, April 23, 2010

This is a house that's built to last. Its Texas limestone exterior conveys Hill Country classicism. Despite the fact that it's located in the heart of this country's fourth largest city -- Houston -- the architecture and overall style celebrate masonry work perfected by German immigrants who founded in the mid-1800s smaller settlements in the Texas Hill Country -- primarily areas around San Antonio and Austin. These early residents often used this same light-colored limestone to construct their homes. The clay tile roof (as opposed to metal) and voluminous interior (in contrast to smaller and modest) mark the main deviations from earlier homestead designs.

Architect Tom Wilson and Interior Designer Ginger Barber together created this master piece. It is my inspiration for what I'd like to achieve in our next home should my husband and I be so fortunate to explore new territories (and I mean that in more ways than one).

Front doors and entrances should make a strong memorable first impression. This one, with the massive wood and iron-detailed doors do. When you enter, you see the magnificent back view. Immediately, the architect established a relationship with the outside, which he reinforces with the huge picture windows all along the back rooms (you'll see some examples at various points below).

The foyer. The flooring is a cut travertine, and the beams above are cypress. The wood around the windows: mahogany.

I call this house my inspiration home, primarily because I've recently fallen back in love with the old limestone houses seen in parts of Texas. And I like how the designer achieved a nice aesthetic balance by adding feminine attributes to this home's masculine bones. (Since I got a little personal with this house, I must interject by saying I'd just alter the size. Cottage is the optimal word for me; that's more my style.) This home, while large and voluminous, does offer up some cozy spaces, which I appreciate. And, Ginger Barber, who is known for her monochromatic looks, softened it all up by adding natural fabrics and rich carpets. Additionally, she's kept the arrangement tight and clean. The contrasts work, I think. What do you think?

The crisp white slip covers certainly infuse a more casual style into a rather grand house. The fabric and pretty rug add appreciated feminine touches that soften the harder surfaces and materials.

Like the living room above, this dining space is intimate and inviting. Artist Joe Andoe did the painting. He paints with his hands.... The cypress used on the ceilings throughout the home conveys a contemporary feel to a fairly traditional house. The architect added old pine beams to cross over the cypress for both interest and effect.

Just a look to show how the architect separated the dining space from the living room. Floors are old heart pine.

Notice how thick the walls are....

More Photos of the home . . . hope you enjoy the tour:

The office or library.

An open-concept space on the other side of the foyer.

Notice the bank of windows looking out to Texas brush and olive trees.

Hi Kare, I thought the addition of fabrics, rugs, the slips, and whites and off whites seemed feminine. A really totally masculine home, for me, would have included all leather and wood furniture, a dark color palette.... That's what I drew from it, which is all subjective, of course. What do others think . . . are there any feminine qualities here?

Hi Susan, first off I really like Ginger Barber. I would guess if you were to actually view this home in person it would be more colorful than the photos show because the artwork rally pops. I really need to go to Texas! Thanks for the inspiration : )

I'm a Texas girl too who should live in the Hill country, but I got stopped in Dallas and never left! The Austin stone is a hallmark of that area of th state, and I've seen it used more and more often here in Big D. This was a wonderful tour of a great Texas Hill country house! Beautiful!

Hello Kare,Thank you so much for sharing this house with us! I looked at your post of this home several times!I also love the limestone! The house is as beautiful at the outside as on the inside!!I go to visit the website of Tom Wilon Architects right now!xxGreet

Ginger Barber is one of my favourite interior designers. I don't think it is too masculine. I could see it is very 'Ginger' and I thought there was a great understanding from her as to how it should look and 'feel'. I'm sure as one of your other readers suggested if you were to walk through this in person there would be more colour variation and the feeling that everything is 'right'. Loved all the architecture also, always adds to the overall ambience. Thanks for the tour, really enjoyed it.Take careJanineXXOOTasmania, Australia

I am so in love with your house, that I wanna use it for my next film project! And since my favorite part is your 11th picture, I'll do a private investigation in that are and I'll play the role of a detective.

Beautiful home. I love the look of limestone architecture. My dad's company produces a "limestone alternative" for those who want the exact look of limestone (uses a crushed limestone plaster) but it's much much cheaper than the real thing! Here's some photos: Limestone Alternative Photos

Now that is a home! It's noticeable how mirrors can lift up the mood of the rooms. Aside from having great shots in the pictures (kudos to you!), it made the house look bigger and more spacious despite the crowded furniture sets.

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Eating Bananas Counteract Salt Excesses

Click the bananas to go to my story about sodium

Pumpkin Maple Custard

I haven't met a recipe that I didn't want to change -- even a little bit. This one is no exception. My aim is to make it healthier, using less sugar, for example . . . . So, to begin, let me tell you how I altered the recipe below with good results.

First off, I used fat-free organic milk. I also opted to go a bit lighter by using 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg -- not the 4 whole eggs, as dictated in the recipe below. Additionally, I used 1/2 cup real organic maple syrup rather than 3/4. I didn't have the crystallized ginger, so I chopped up some pecans and added a small dollop of yogurt. I love this dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

4 large eggs

3/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons whipped cream

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Line a roasting pan with a folded kitchen towel.

2. Heat milk over low heat in a small saucepan until barely steaming but not boiling.

3. Whisk eggs and syrup in a large bowl until smooth. Gently whisk in the warm milk (a little bit at a time so the eggs don't cook). Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; whisk until blended.

4. Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce (3/4-cup) custard cups. Skim foam from the surface. Place custard cups in the prepared roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Place the pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, until custards are just set but still quiver in the center when shaken, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer custards to a wire rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until chilled.

5. To serve, top each custard with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of crystallized ginger. (Again, since I didn't have the cystallized ginger, I topped it with chopped pecans -- that I did have. Plus a little yogurt.)

This quinoa (keen-wah) salad is a favorite! Everytime I prepare it, someone asks for the recipe. If you're interested in reading about the nutritional benefits of this grain-like crop, go here.

I plan to share all the ingredients of this recipe, which I found on a bag of Eden Red Quinoa. However, *instead of the plum vinegar, I use apple-cider vinegar. Why? Well, the plum vinegar has a whopping 1,050 grams of sodium per teaspoon!! (yikes.) The apple-cider vinegar contains zero (0)!

Preparation:Rinse quinoa in cold water. Add 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/4 cup boiling water. Add chopped beet(s).Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and fluff. When cool, toss with remaining ingredients and serve. Or place in fridge, as it works as a cold salad.Serves 4.

**Cut off the beet leaves, rinse to add to a green salad or in cut up into small pieces for a pasta salad.

The Scarlet Quinoa Salad, is a pretty red dish, as you might imagine. Think holidays? or anytime, like I do . . . .